INTERVIEW: SASHA KEABLE
Meet the super talented R&B soul singer-songwriter Sasha Keable. A Brit School alumni hailing from South East London, Kaeble has taken much musical inspiration from her Columbian roots. Her sound is evocative of the powerful female storytellers we all love with a twist. Sasha’s new single Don’t get lost certainly lives up to the greats, with soulful tones and soft jazzy piano riffs, Sasha delivers the truth with her stirring impassioned lyrics.
We sat down to discuss the importance of trusting your gut, managing mental health, and the best way to spread awareness about the recent devastating situation in Columbia.
Interview by CHARLOTTE CREIGHTON
Photographer - EVA PENTEL
Stylist - LIZZE ASH
Makeup Artist - LUCY THOMAS
Hair Stylist - SOPHIE SUGARMAN
Hi Sasha, how are you today?
I’m gooood, I’m just at home getting ready to leave the house.
Your music has been described as…. How would you describe it?
I would describe my music as… soulful, heartfelt & honest, maybe a little bit too honest…?
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Could you tell me a little bit about your song writing process? Where do you start?
So usually I just write with just piano, I like to build the whole song around the piano first. It's just how I've found to get the best out of myself. Once I've written a few songs I'll go to the studio with the band, and I will build it up from there and continue to write the song from there. In terms of topics, I just write about whatever is happening in my life at that current moment.
MUSIC VIDEO: Sasha Keable, Jorja Smith - Killing Me
How does your writing process differ when working on a collaborative project?
If I’m being honest it doesn't really, I think when you're writing with someone else you have to be considerate of how they write because obviously, you want to get the best out of both of you, but so far I haven’t really written with anyone who has a crazyyy different writing style to me. I just think mine’s a little bit more stripped back than other people. But people are generally quite open to working like that because many people don't and it can be quite nice to kinda go back to basics.
You have always been vocal about your mental health struggles, which is so important and relatable, what made you decide to do this?
I felt like I was really alone which is basically why I started doing that, and I also think about the future that I want for my little sisters and my nieces; I don't ever want them to have to go through the same struggles as me with regards to having to feel like you're alone and treading through this minefield where no one's giving you the best advice or your parents aren't supporting you or your school isn't supporting you or your peers aren’t supporting you. I just kind of want to open up the conversation so that they will always have that support or at least have someone to look up to who is very open and doesn’t mind talking about it.
How do you manage your mental health today?
I know my triggers, and I know when I just need a day to myself. I can't lie and say my mental health is perfect because it isn't; I still have really bad days and I still have breakdowns but I just try and manage them the best I can. It's not something that's linear, it's very all over the place. I try my hardest and I've got a dog which really helps give me company when I want to be on my own but not completely on my own.
You’ve been helping spread awareness about the horrendous situation in Columbia. What can we do to help?
There's a go fund me page, but also do some research on it. There are a lot of amazing Instagram pages where the truth’s coming out. You probably won’t find any of your really responsible information via the MSM just because they're trying to kind of suppress the people of Colombia. So yeah just do some research and see, but there is a go fund me page that supports frontline fighters and frontline medical staff and people like that who are actually doing the best stuff in Columbia right now
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Have you seen a positive change within the music industry over the years?
I think so, but there are some times that I see positive change and some times where it gets undone. There's a lot more camaraderie between female artists which I think is really important because it's nice to know you're supported. I think we've been pitted against each other for quite a long time and I don't really see the point in that. I feel like there's a lot more camaraderie which is positive. I feel like women are the change, WE are making the change. I don't feel like men are actively making those changes.
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What changes do you think the industry needs to make to support young women?
I think that more women need to be hired into higher positions within record labels. I'd love to see more women a&r’s. I think that women should be supported in learning instruments that are more male-driven. It would also be good to see more women on the road in terms of lighting engineers and sound engineers and just general crew. When you're a woman and you're touring it can be a heavily male-dominated time, so it would be great to support women and have women funded to go into those roles.
If you could go back and give young Sasha some advice what would that be; and what advice would you give for young women coming into the music industry?
I kinda say this till I'm blue in the face but just go with your gut. If something feels wrong it probably is, if your decisions are constantly being overridden by someone else, who’s an older male figure maybe try and reach out to women that you trust. Try and get some other opinions on what you're doing because it can be very easy to get misled when you're a young woman in the industry. So yeah, I would give that advice to other people and I would give that advice to myself when I was younger. I don't want to sound cynical or bitter but try and trust your gut and don't necessarily trust everyone around you because the music industry is rife with people who just want to make money out of you and don't necessarily care about your wellbeing.
What's next for Sasha Keable?
We got m’fing more music coming soon! Got some very exciting stuff and hopefully some more live shows which will be great!!
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Interview by CHARLOTTE CREIGHTON
Photographer - EVA PENTEL
Stylist - LIZZE ASH
Makeup Artist - LUCY THOMAS
Hair Stylist - SOPHIE SUGARMAN